


Crossroads.

by daydreamer2100



Series: Ezio and Sofia. [7]
Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: AC2, Before, Cute, F/M, Flashback, Fluff, Happy, Love, Meant To Be, Revelations, Sofia and Ezio need more fics, Young Ezio - Freeform, little sofia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2020-05-30 23:01:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19413211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daydreamer2100/pseuds/daydreamer2100
Summary: Every single person you ever meet has been meant to come into your life at the right time. They come once you are ready for them and they're ready for you. But, sometimes, you may find each other without really knowing. You may talk, or maybe just glance at the other without second thought. Not imagining that that stranger will one day change your life.This is something Sofia is beginning to understand.Or: Little Sofia and AC2 Ezio meet.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!
> 
> So, I wrote this because I love the idea of Ezio meeting Sofia and him being sort of a first crush she has, while he is completely and utterly clueless to what the future holds (both of them, but especially Ezio)
> 
> I hope you like this fic, and I'd love to hear your comments!

The laughter and music seeped in through the sitting room’s window, sending bolts of excitement through Sofia. She stood on the chair, leaning on the windowsill and looking out into the street as the dancers and masked people went past. She looked at the intricate masks and the fire breathing acrobats and smiled, her heart going faster. Venice was usually very boring compared to Constantinopoli, but this carnival thing seemed very fun. 

Sofia had just moved back from the east, and the floating city, although her real birthplace, seemed like a foreign and strange place still. She missed the colorful tapestries, and smokey smell of incense and spices; she missed the gypsy dancers and the merchants yelling prices in as all the languages in the world. But now, seeing all the fireworks and hearing the laughter, all that uneasiness slipped into the back of the ten year old’s mind. 

Now, she was only thinking about one thing: going out into the street. 

“How much longer until my aunt is ready?” Sofia asked, still looking out the window, “I want to go!”

Filippa was sitting on the couch next to her, reading. “ _ Non lo so  _ (I don’t know), Sofia,” she said calmly, “in a little while.”

Sofia groaned, turning around and slumping down into the chair. Filippa looked at her for a split second. “Don’t slouch,” she said.

The child sat straight, but she stuck her tongue out to her cousin. Of course Filippa had turned back to her book by then and hadn’t seen it, but Sofia knew what she had done, and that was good enough for her. 

Sofia kept looking at the closed door, moving her feet in the air. The music kept cheering outside, filling her with uncontrollable excitement. 

“Stop that,” Filippa groaned, “you’re driving me crazy.”

Sofia rolled her eyes and jumped out of her chair, instead pacing up and down the room in front of the big wooden shelf they had. She began running her fingers over the leather bound books in it, taking in the dusty scent of paper. She read the titles quietly, seeing which one caught her eye. Most of them she had already read. 

Finally, she found one she hadn’t gotten into yet, and she pulled it out. It was a copy of a spanish book titled:  _ “Los Cuentos del Conde Lucanor” _ . Filippa watched her go back to her chair and open the book, getting lost in it almost immediately.

Just then the door opened and a young man came in. He was near his twenties, with fiery red hair and deep green eyes, just like Sofia’s. He was wearing party clothes, but they hung loose over his slender frame and looked sort of awkward. 

“Marcello,” Filippa greeted him, “is everyone ready to go?”

The young man shook his head. “We’re waiting for your father, but he should be ready in a minute,” he explained. 

Filippa nodded, putting away her book. 

Marcello looked at his baby sister, lost in the big old book. “It’s nice to see you too, sister,” he said, but she didn’t hear him. He walked over to her side and picked her up from the chair. Sofia didn’t protest, she didn’t even stop reading. She just let him set her down on his lap and she curled up against him, playing with a loose string in his vest. He read the book and frowned. “Since when do you know how to read in spanish?” he asked. 

“I don’t,” Sofia replied, looking up at him.

“Then how do you know what it says?”

“It’s not so different from italian,” she explained, “I can understand some words… and the rest I just make up. So far, I really like this story.”

Marcello chuckled. “What is it about?” he asked. 

“I’m not sure yet,” she replied, “I think it’s about a knight.”

“Why do you think that?”

“I don’t know, I just want it to be about a knight.”

_ “Va bene,”  _ Marcello laughed, looking up at Filippa as she covered her mouth and chuckled. 

The door opened and they looked up. Sofia’s father, a man of about fifty came to the door. His hair had once been a deep red, just like his children, but it had faded to a silvery white with time; his eyes, however, were as aware and green as always. He looked at all of them. “It’s time to go,” he said. 

As soon as she heard that, Sofia jumped off her brother’s lap. A big smile appeared on her face as she bolted past her father and down the hallway. She almost reached the stairs when she remembered she still had the book. She ran back even faster, left the book on the couch and went back out before the others could even leave the room. 

She went down the stairs three steps at a time, her little legs barely managing to keep up. Her mother and aunt were waiting downstairs, talking with their masks on. Her mother’s eyes widened when she saw her running towards them. “Sofia!” she exclaimed, catching her by the arm, “why are you running, my darling?!”

“They said we were ready to go!” she explained. 

Her aunt shook her head slightly, looking at her mother; but she just gave Sofia a kind smile and knelt in front of her. “We are,  _ amore _ ,” her mother said, “but you must walk. Good girls don’t run, do you understand?”

Sofia nodded. “ _ Mi dispiace _ , mother,” she said, “I won’t do it again.”

The woman smiled, fixing a strand of her that had fallen out of Sofia’s bun. “Now,” she said, standing up, “here’s something for you.” The woman turned around, picked up something from the table, and turned around for Sofia to see it: it was a carnival mask. Sofia gasped looking at the delicate white porcelain, and taking in the colorful strokes and intricate patterns. She smiled. “Grazie!” she said, hugging her mother.

Her mother helped her put it on just as the others caught up with them. Sofia stared at her in the mirror, smiling at the way she looked with the mask. The day just kept getting better and better.

The adults were going over to dinner at the house of one of her uncle’s friends but the kids were going out to look around the city, and maybe see some games. Sofia had begged her parents to allow her to go with her brother and not with them, and if it hadn’t been for Filippa interceding in her favor, she wouldn’t have been allowed to. 

Before they left, Sofia’s mother turned to Marcello and Filippa. “Keep an eye on Sofia,” she told them, “and be careful.”

“Of course,” Filippa nodded, taking Sofia’s hand while she continued to look at her reflection. 

Marcello kissed her mother’s forehead. “You have nothing to worry about, mother,” he reassured her. 

He opened the door and stepped aside for Filippa and Sofia to get out first, coming right behind them and closing the door. 

As soon as the house was out of sight, Sofia took off running again, laughing and urging them to follow. Filippa tried to stop her, turning to Marcello for help, but he had already taken off after his sister. Letting out a deep sigh, Filippa’s face relaxed and she chased after them with a big smile on her face. 


	2. Chapter 2

The carnival was everything Sofia imagined it would be and more: acrobats and music and dancing, and… well, just about anything imaginable. The night sky flashed with color as the fireworks exploded overhead, the water of the canals shone with a golden glow from the torches burning on every wall. The people around wore beautiful dresses of all colors, and each of their masks was more beautiful than the last. 

Marcello and Filippa held both of Sofia’s hands as they walked, swinging her as she laughed. They went over a bridge and came into a garden with trees and some small tents with games and little shows. In the back, people were gathered around a stage; listening to a jester and laughing wholeheartedly. She instinctively walked towards him, but Filippa pulled her back. 

“I want to see the jester,” she protested, looking at her cousin and trying to break free from her grip.

Filippa wasn’t looking at her though, her eyes glued to two girls around Filippa’s age near the canals. She smiled and went straight towards them, dragging Sofia along. “Antonia, Maria!” she greeted them.

They bowed their heads, acknowledging them. One of them, Maria, smiled, “we weren’t sure if you were going to make it,” she said. She was short, with full cheeks and big kind eyes, almost hidden under two ringlets of deep black hair. 

She gave Sofia a kind smile and turned to her brother, her face immediately turning bright red. “It’s a pleasure to see you, _messere_ ,” she said. 

Marcello bowed. “The pleasure is all mine,” he said, “it’s always good to see you, Maria.”

Maria tried to cover her smile with a red fan, but Sofia caught a glimpse of it. She turned to her brother and then to Maria, waiting for them to speak, but they only smiled at each other. Sofia rolled her eyes, looking wistfully at the jester in the back. Just as she did a wave of laughter rolled through the crowd and she sighed in defeat, knowing she was trapped.

Filippa looked from her cousin to her friend. “You know Maria,” she said, “this is my cousin’s first carnival after coming back from Costantinopoli.”

“Is that so?” Antonia, the other girl, gasped in utter shock, looking at him and then at Maria. She was tall and extremely thin, with brown eyes, and most of all, a truly terrible actress.

Marcello chuckled awkwardly. “I’m afraid so,” he said, “though I do remember seeing a flame eating man the last time I was here; I hope there’s one this year as well.”

Flavia frowned. They had seen a man breathing fire just on their way over. “Wait-” she began, but stopped when Filippa gave her a weak tap with her foot, just subtly enough for her to feel it and shut up. 

“¡Si!” Maria nodded, “I saw him… he’s actually just on the other street.” her face turned red again, blending into the fan. “Would you like me to show you where?” she asked. 

“It would be my pleasure,” he replied, offering her his arm. 

Sofia held in a chuckle when his brother’s ears turned a twinge of red.

Maria smiled, a slight squeal escaping from her. She took Marcello’s arm almost shyly and they walked off without another glance in their companion’s direction. 

Sofia watched them leave with the other two girls until they disappeared through a group of dancers near the center of the park. Antonia laughed just as they went into the street. “I hear wedding bells,” she said.

“I hear them too,” Filippa nodded, finally letting go from Sofia’s hand.

Sofia wiped her cousin’s sweat from her hand on her skirt, looking in the direction her brother had disappeared in. “Why?” she asked, “they just went for a walk.”

Both girls looked at the child, chuckling with amusement. “You wouldn’t understand,” Antonia said, leaning down and pinching Sofia’s cheek.

Sofia rubbed her cheek, diminishing the burning from her long nails. “Try me,” she said. 

“Well,” Filippa explained, “they like each other.”

“Oh,” Sofia nodded, “I get it.”

“Do you now?” Filippa smiled incredulous.

“Well, yes,” Sofia continued, “it’s like in my books. They love each other.”

The two girls exchanged glances. “Well… they’ll love each other,” Filippa said, “if they do get married.”

“Why not now?”

“Because love comes after marriage,” Antonia explained, “you can’t really know until then.”

The child thought about it for a moment. She really didn’t know anything about it aside from what she saw in her books, but… there was just something in her that told her otherwise. “I think you can love someone before,” Sofia replied. 

The girls laughed. “Really?” Filippa asked, trying to hide her smile.

“Have you been in love then?” Antonia added. 

Sofia looked up at them, a very serious look on her face. “No,” she shrugged, “but I will be, and I won’t have to marry him to know.”

“How will you know?”

“I just will.”

Sofia turned towards the stage, ignoring the other girl’s mocking looks. She sighed as she realized the jester was gone and the stage was completely empty. 

“And then you’ll marry that man?” Antonia continued, too amused to let Sofia’s mind move past the subject. 

Sofia nodded, a smile creeping onto her face as the fantasy came into existence, “and we’ll have a house, filled with all the books in the world… and we’re going to be very happy.”

Antonia burst into laughter, looking at Filippa and shaking her head. “Mio Dio,” she laughed, “your cousin’s been reading too many love stories.”

Filippa sighed and smiled, but there was no malice in it. She knelt down in front of Sofia, combing the hair out of her face, and leaving an affectionate kiss on her forehead. “My sweet girl,” she said, “of course you will have all that… you just wait.”

Just then, a man came up to them. He bowed slightly and looked at the older girls. “ _Buonasera_ ,” he said in a high pitched voice, “I’m sorry to interrupt you ladies, but would you be interested in helping us with a game?”

Filippa smiled at the man, making him blush. “That depends,” she said, “what would we have to do?”

The man pulled out a small ribbon and offered it to Filippa. “It’s very simple: you just have to hold on to this and give it the man who manages to woo you,” he smiled, “of course, you shouldn’t let it be too easy for them.”

Filippa and Antonia looked at each other and smiled. Filippa looked at the man. “Are you implying we’re easy then?” she teased. 

The man’s eyes widened, and he shook his head. “No! No!” he shook his head, his face flushed all the way to the tip of his nose. “ _Mi dispiace_ , I did not mean to offend.”

“None taken,” Filippa calmed him. 

She took the ribbon from the flustered man’s hand and studied it. “I think this will be fun,” she said, looking at Antonia, “don’t you think?”

Antonia nodded. “We do not have anything better to do, after all,” she agreed. 

The man gave them a relieved smile and handed Antonia another ribbon. He was about to walk away when Sofia grabbed the back of his coat and pulled slightly. The man turned around, just noticing the small girl. 

“What about me?” she asked, “do I get a ribbon?”

The man hesitated, looking at the small child. He turned to Filippa for permission and she nodded. A smile appeared on his face. “Of course!” he said, giving another ribbon to little Sofia, “ _Mi dispiace_ , I didn’t see you there.”

“It’s alright,” Sofia smiled, taking the ribbon and holding it tight. 

With another bow, the man left and went over to another group of girls a little farther down the road. 

The three girls looked at each other, letting out excited chuckles. “This will be fun,” Filippa laughed, studying the ribbon in her hand. 

“¡Si!” Sofia nodded, jumping excitedly.

Antonia laughed, looking at Sofia. “Now,” she said, going down to her level, “don’t just give it to anyone, he has to try. Understood?”

Sofia nodded. “Capito.”

“Bene,” Antonia nodded. She stood back up and waved the ribbon in her hand. “Let’s have some fun then!”


	3. Chapter 3

It didn’t take long for the boys to swarm in after that. They came from everywhere, going up to every girl in sight. Of course, beautiful Filippa had attracted more than a few. She was standing there on the edge of the canal, sitting on the ledge with a smile on her face while a group of around six young men tried to convince her to give them her ribbon. Antonia stood next to a tree a little farther down, with two boys talking to her. 

They both seemed to be having the time of their lives. So much so that they forgot about Sofia, standing away from them, looking around and holding her ribbon sadly. 

Sofia knew she was little, she knew she wasn’t as pretty as them, and didn’t know how to talk to boys like they did, but… she still felt disappointed. She knew maybe she shouldn’t feel that way, she was just a little girl after all. Her aunt did say it would be another two years before she was of marrying age. There was just no chance anyone would go up to her. 

Sighing, she went over to the edge of the canal and sat down, undoing the ribbon and playing with it. 

Sofia had just made the ribbon into a bow again for the millionth time when a pair of boots stopped in front of her. A weird feeling took over her, and she looked up. A man was standing there, staring at her. She froze, taking in the way this weird stranger looked: he was tall, and looked like one of the strong men they brought with the entertainment. He seemed to be young, just a little older than her own brother, but she couldn’t tell for sure from under the hood and mask he was wearing. His clothes were weird too: white robes with a cape draped over one shoulder. Sofia noted the sword strapped to his waist and the weird arm brace he was wearing. 

Part of her thought she should’ve been terrified, but she wasn’t. It was just something about his eyes… a sort of magnetism that came right through his mask. Sofia couldn’t look away, a weird feeling suddenly taking over and making her heart race. 

“Salve,” the man said.

Sofia couldn’t answer, too busy trying not to laugh. Her face was burning, but she didn’t really know why. 

The man was trying to hide a chuckle too, seeing the way the girl’s face slowly turned the same shade as her hair. He knelt in front of her, getting face to face with her. “I see you have a ribbon,” he said in a nice voice, “may I have it?”

Against her better judgement, she held the ribbon to her chest and chuckled. She really didn’t know why she was doing it, but she couldn’t help it. Besides, Antonia said she couldn’t just give it away, no matter how nice the boy could be. The man saw her do that and chuckled, looking down at the floor and taking a deep breath. Something about his laugh made her feel weird inside her chest, but she couldn’t describe the feeling, almost like a mouse running around her tummy. 

It was good though. 

He sighed and looked up again, staring her right in the eye. He took Sofia’s little hand in his playfully. She was shocked by how big they were, and just stared at it as the mouse in her stomach went crazy. What was happening to her?

“May I know your name?” the man asked playfully. 

Sofia looked at him, trying to find the words. She just laughed, covering her face with her free hand shyly. 

The man laughed too, looking at her. “No name then,” he said. Sofia shook her head, still hiding her face. The man nodded. “Very well then,” he said. 

He thought for a moment, trying to control his own laughter. It was a very bizarre, albeit, amusingly adorable situation. He never imagined he’d end up having to flatter a child for a ribbon. It was for good fun though, after all, he would never try anything serious with someone so young. 

Besides, she seemed to be having fun.

“And what is a beautiful young lady like you doing alone at this carnival?” he asked, staring at her right in the eye.

Sofia chuckled again, her face burning, but she found her voice. “I came with my cousin,” she explained, to the man’s shock, “what are  _ you _ doing here? You don’t look like someone who’s going to a party”

A smile crept on the man’s face, amused by the girl’s sudden boldness. “I’m here for your ribbon, of course,” he said after a moment of hesitation, pointing at the ribbon being squished in Sofia’s hand. She looked at it, just remembering she had it. “May I have it?” he asked.

She hesitated, looking back from the ribbon to the man. Sofia squinted her eyes, as if thinking about it. 

“It would do me a great honor,” he added, holding her hand between his. 

The fireworks kept lighting up the sky as she sat there, looking at him. The sight of his eyes dug deep into her. There was just something about him, a feeling she got when she looked at him… almost like she was drawn to him, but she didn’t know why. It was just a feeling she couldn’t explain, but she couldn’t shake it off.

Nodding, she handed the ribbon to him. 

He smiled, and, to Sofia’s surprise, kissed her hand quickly. She felt her heart skip a beat when he did, her face turning blood red as a chuckle escaped her throat. 

_“Grazie,”_ the man said, looking back at her. 

Sofia managed a smile and nodded, the weird feeling in her chest taking over. 

The man gave her one last bow after he stood up. He waved her goodbye and vanished into the crowd, leaving her alone next to the canal. 

She didn’t feel sad though, because, somehow, she knew… she would see him again.


	4. Chapter 4

HFireworks went off outside the window of the room as Sofia lay on the bed inside. She watched the sudden burst of light shoot out of nowhere into the sky only to burst into a rain of colors, accompanied by the sound of laughter and cheering. She followed the path down of the bits of light after the explosion until they disappeared. Her eyes then turned to the man laying next to her.

Ezio was laying on his stomach with one hand over Sofia’s stomach and the other hanging off the side of the bed. Sofia fixed the covers over him, and pushed a lock of hair out of his face, smiling when he stirred.

She took a moment to look around the room as another firework went off outside, lighting the interior: their clothes were thrown around on the floor, her nightdress laying at the foot of the chair were she had neatly laid her wedding gown. Ezio’s boots were thrown around too, one near the door and the other near the bottom of the bed. Sofia lay back down, smiling as she tried to recall how they ended there. Right over her head, she found Ezio’s shirt, hanging from the head of the bed. That just made her chuckle to herself.

Sofia reached up and pulled it down, studying it closely. She was still looking at it when she felt butterflies in her stomach. Smiling, she put the shirt down and saw Ezio looking at her. She smiled, leaned over and kissed him tenderly. The man flipped over on his back and pulled her on top of him. He caressed her back, holding her face with the other. 

They kept kissing until loud screams outside made them pull away, and look out the window. “The party seems to be going well,” he commented, caressing her hair.

Sofia lay back down next to him, their breaths mixing together. “Should we go back?” she asked in a whisper, studying his eyes. 

Ezio touched the skin over each one of her ribs tenderly, sending waves of electricity through her. “Not yet,” he replied.

She smiled and nodded, pressing her forehead to his and caressing his beard. Just then, another firework went off and, for a second, Sofia was back in that carnival. She smiled wide, the eyes in her memory and the ones in front of her mixing together. 

“What?” he asked, tangling his fingers into her hair.

Sofia shook her head, dismissing the idea. “Nothing,” she said, “just a thought.”

Ezio smiled and leaned over her, kissing her and pulling her underneath him. Sofia pulled away, looking up at him. “But, just to know,” she sighed, trying to catch her breath, “when was the first time you came to Venice again?”


End file.
